Nadia Shihata, the mayor’s pick to lead the Department of Investigation, faced a grilling from councilmembers on her past support for Mayor Mamdani’s campaign on Monday as part of her confirmation process before the Council.
Councilmembers questioned Shihata on hundreds she forked over to the Mamdani campaign last year, a night she spent canvassing for the campaign and her loose friendship with the mayor’s chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem.
“Especially in these positions, we’re always looking for independent individuals that don’t necessarily have predetermined relationships with the mayor,” Deputy Speaker Nantasha Williams said. “So would you say that this is evidence that you have a pre existing bias for the mayor?
“Absolutely not. I think anyone who knows me or who has worked with me knows my level of professionalism and integrity over my 20 year career, and that I will approach every investigation, including any that may involve the mayor or any senior officials in his administration, I will approach that as I would approach any investigation, looking at the facts and the law and following those with independence and objectivity.”
Shihata worked for 11 years as a federal prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, where she served as deputy chief of the public integrity section — a role similar to that of DOI commissioner.
Shihata was nominated in February to be commissioner for the agency, which is tasked with rooting out corruption in city government.
The tough line of questioning, mostly from allies of Speaker Menin, also comes after tensions between the two sides of City Hall have bubbled into public view. Last week, Mamdani attacked the speaker by name in his criticism of the Council’s budget counterproposal.
Under questioning from Minoriy Leader David Carr at the hearing, Shihata cited her prior work, saying she’d investigated people she’d supported in the past.
Dora Pekec, a spokesperson for the mayor, emphasized in a statement that Mamdani picked Shihata for the role because of her “demonstrated integrity, her extensive experience as a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, and her track record of rooting out corruption throughout her career.”